This delicious vegan salad is so festive and flavorful. It’s absolutely perfect for the winter season and holiday entertaining. The best part is the coconut bacon, which takes the taste of this salad to a whole other unexpected level. The salad is quick to make, extremely healthy and wholesome, and it mimics traditional flavors with tasty plant-based ingredients all guests can enjoy.
Ingredients
1 medjool date, pitted
1 Tbsp. Tamari
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup unsweetened large coconut flakes
1/2 cup pecan halves, soaked overnight in filtered water
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. mustard
25 Brussels sprouts
1/4 cup fresh cranberries
1 orange, sliced and deseeded
Directions
- To make coconut bacon, soak date in Tamari for 1 to 2 hours to soften. (Note: Skip soaking if date is already soft.) In small bowl, combine date, Tamari and smoked paprika and mash with fork until date is completely broken down. Add coconut flakes and mix until flakes are dyed by date mixture. Set aside to allow flavors to blend.
- To make Parmesan “cheese,” remove pecans from water and rinse them. In food processor fitted with S blade, blend pecans, nutritional yeast and salt until pecans are broken down into small pieces. (Note: Be careful not to over-process into pecan butter.) Set aside.
- To make dressing, whisk together balsamic vinegar and mustard until well combined.
- To make salad, slice Brussels sprouts very thinly with a knife, or use slicer disk in food processor. Peel orange until no white skin is left and cut into slices.
- Place sliced Brussels sprouts, orange slices and fresh cranberries in a bowl. Top with coconut “bacon,” Parmesan pecans and dressing.